Ursula wasn't entirely certain of what Elladora was trying to communicate but she thought she understood the gist of it. She had thought at first that her abrupt denial was the end of the matter but to her surprise she elaborated further and far more candidly than she could have anticipated. Nor could she have anticipated the pang of deep affection it provoked in her.

The longings she had felt that evening after the first dream were back and seemed worse than they had been then. The feelings reminded her of how she felt with Thom which made no sense at all, this was her sister-in-law she wasn't a ruinously charming gentleman, she wasn't even a man! With very little thought about what she was doing she took Elladora's hands in hers and brought them up to her face, her lips resting against her knuckles. Before she realized what was happening she was lightly kissing the woman's hands and so abruptly moved her face so that her forehead replaced her lips on Elladora's hands. She squeezed her fingers for a moment in silent regret.

"Promise me, promise me you'll do everything you can." Elladora Black was no healer nor was she a miracle worker or an infallible being but it filled her with such relief to hear those words, 'I won't let you'. Maybe, just maybe, Elladora was a match for whatever fate had in store for her but whether she was or not, just the thought of having someone prepared and ready to fight for her life made her feel safer.

Ursula lowered their hands to her lap and interlocked her fingers with Ella's. She hesitantly met the other woman's eye, suddenly aware that her own were starting to well up. Her thumbs began smoothing the sides of Ella's hands in a subconscious attempt to soothe herself. "When the time comes I need you there. With me." As much as she didn't want Ella to see her that way she found the idea of being without her worse still. "And if it comes to a choice... I-" She let out a small, anguished sob. "I don't think Phineas will choose me. But you will, won't you?"

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